While in Dublin, Ireland, I had the opportunity to chat with Peterson's Glen Whelan about the release of the Pipe of the Year for 2024. Learn about this design, what inspired it, and more in this special video filmed at Peterson on Nassau Street.

[Andy Wike]: Hi everybody. I'm Andy Wike and I'm on location here at Peterson of Dublin on Nassau Street, joined by the honorable Glen Whelan.

[Glen Whelan]: Hey everybody.

[AW]: While we're here, we thought we'd just go ahead and talk about the Pipe of the Year for 2024. This annual release is one of Peterson's most anticipated annual limited-edition series. I particularly love this range because I think it is where Peterson really gets to flex its creative muscles and try out some stuff, whether that's looking at old archives, old catalogs, and reviving shapes that maybe haven't been seen in quite some time, or in the case of this year, doing something completely new.

This year's Pipe of the Year is a full-bent Rhodesian System pipe. Glen, can you tell us a little bit about the idea here? How did you approach this year's Pipe of the Year?

[GW]: Yeah, the Pipe of the Year is an iconic yearly release. It's the one that every Peterson fan waits for every year and during the last few years, we've reintroduced old shapes, iconic shapes as well as those that have fallen off the shape chart. So this year we went with a brand new shape, and the System design is distinctly Peterson. So we figured, why not add a brand new System shape to the Pipe of the Year for this year. I felt like Peterson was missing a Rhodesian within the System line, and I talked with Giacomo Penzo, our Pipe Specialist at Peterson. I said, "Giacomo, I would like a System full-bent Rhodesian." And he went away to his workshop and he constructed some samples from paper first and made some bowls for us. And we all sat down together, Josh, Sykes, Jonathan, myself, and then Giacomo, of course. And we loved the design concept that he came up with.

[AW]: Yeah, I saw some of those early sketches, too, and it was really cool to see how Giac was thinking about this new shape and how informed it was by the patent era.

[GW]: Yeah, Giacomo understands the Peterson identity really well. He's so creative but still fits in with how Peterson pipes should look. It's almost like we're on an archeological dig, uncovering this shape that we never knew Peterson was missing. I think it fits into the modern standards of today, but it still wouldn't look out of place in a catalog from 150 years ago.

[AW]: Yeah, it's super interesting. I saw the sketches and some of the early blocks.

[GW]: We also got really lucky. You got to see some in production as well here as you're visiting.

[AW]: That's true. From the initial sketch to the drawing to some of the sample blocks, to the first finished prototype that you showed me, all of that really came together, but then you guys had to make some adjustments after you reviewed it.

[GW]: Yeah, of course. It's very hard to get it perfect on the first go. With Giacomo, the first sample that he did looked really good, and we all thought, well that's it. It was only when we put it into full R&D in the factory and we went to bore out the bowl for the System well that we realized we needed a bit more length on the shank to accommodate the System reservoir because it's vital. It's not a System without that reservoir.

[AW]: Yeah, a hundred percent. A System pipe without the moisture reservoir is not a System pipe, folks.

[GW]: And then also because it's a Deluxe mount edition it has to be able to house the condenser as well, which adds more length to the tandem. So we did that in two takes, and then once we got to that point, we went to Jason to ensure that the silver work was perfect. Silver work is very important on Peterson pipes. Deluxe mounts require special care because he has to turn the silver over and it has to be a very flat mount. So there are issues there potentially where it just might not work in some shapes.

Thankfully, all the stars aligned once again, and we were just straight through. The most distinguishing feature that I love about this year's pipe, though, is the stem. The Deluxe system is almost iconic with the saddle mount piece, and I think this tapered stem is so elegant on this.

[AW]: It's really nice. It's also more of a throwback to the early catalog shapes. Visually, it follows the graduated bore better.

[GW]: It just has a beautiful flow. Even how the stem channels into the shank, you get that cheeking on the end of the bowl where the transition line is.

[AW]: The lines of those pipes are so lovely. It's got this swan neck curve, you know? But it's also so muscular.

[GW]: It's well-balanced as well, which is typically Peterson. Even that cheeking was one of the things that we needed to make sure we retained in the R&D phase because that's part of the shape. That's where you get the transition from bowl to shank.

[AW]: Yeah, and in the bead lines as well.

[GW]: Yeah, they're very clean and crisp.

[AW]: And I think that works really well too with such a rotund shape. It's a really lovely shape. I'm super impressed with how quickly you developed that. I think it just goes to show you that the guys who work in the factory are artisans. These are craftsmen who take their art and their craft very seriously. And so when a challenge like this arises to create a new patent pipe for 2024 that fits with the Peterson heritage, that's a remarkable way for them to leave a lasting impression on the legacy.

[GW]: Exactly. It's a testament to them. It's our understanding of the brand. Peterson has seen an evolution in its history, but the guys understand today's market as well as what was popular 150 years ago.

[AW]: That's true, yeah. Speaking more generally here, that is one of the things that I've always really appreciated about Peterson. If you look at the shape and you look at the engineering, nothing has changed.

[GW]: No. The machinery is more modern, but functionally all the jobs they do are the same. They're all hand-operated.

[AW]: I was looking at some advertisements from the early 20th century for Peterson. It was from 1896. Charles Peterson developed the best smoking pipe in the world. The rest is history. If you look at the actual System design, nothing has changed since Charles Peterson finalized his last patent. But what has changed is that we've evolved the execution of that with modern, artisanal sandblasting, and really nice stain work, such as the contrast rustication, all of these are iconic Peterson staples, but the way that they're executed is so precise.

[GW]: Yeah, there's an awful lot of care. You met and spoke with most of the guys in the factory, and I'm sure you could tell that they're all really passionate about what they do.

[AW]: It's really cool to see a brand new shape that fits in with the canon of Peterson lore, executed with modern finishing. It's a patent shape for a new generation of Peterson. I'm really excited to see this come out. These will be available in a wide variety of finishes.

[GW]: Yeah, in very limited quantities, only 1100 pieces popping up this year worldwide.

[AW]: You can expect to see some iconic contrast rustications, Terracottas, and then, Glen, you mentioned we might even have some special stuff.

[GW]: You may have a surprise or two. We like to leave something as a surprise for people.

[AW]: That's right. Yeah, a little mystery never hurt anybody. Thank you so much for talking with us about it.

[GW]: It's a pleasure as always.

[AW]: We're really excited to see this one released, and I think it's a really good forecast for what Peterson can do in the next several years as well.

[GW]: Yeah. And one of the biggest questions from consumers is when do we start thinking about new pipes? Usually the release of this year's Pipe of the Year, for example, is an alarm bell for us to start planning for next year, so we're already planning because next year is a big year for Peterson, 160 years of the company. So consumers can expect some nice surprises. We're already working really hard and Giacomo's doing R&D stages already. It's something for the consumers to think about and put on their wishlist for next year. We're never not thinking about new pipes or new releases.

[AW]: Peterson's Pipe of the Year for 2024 will be available in a wide variety of finishes on August 20. I'm really excited to see this new patent pipe for 2024. Thanks so much, guys. We'll catch you next time.

[GW]: Thanks. Bye.